Aziza = precious

Only own Dria. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Five

She spat on the dirt before her, removing the blood from behind her teeth. Her hands were chained above me and her feet were tied below me. A thief had kidnapped her from her personal room the night before and had brought her here. He must have been paid handsomely for actually pulling this off.

"You could easily end your suffering if you would just tell me, princess. How do you stop those Items?"

She chuckled and spat more of blood into the man's face. It was covered by a black mask with openings for his eyes, nose, and mouth. Unfortunately for him, not many people had red eyes, eyes that she could easily pick out in a crowd. Plus, it didn't really help that he smelled something awful. The stench alone would give him away. His eyes bubbled with anger as her silence continued. He raised his knife once again. The wounds in her leg and abdomen marked her recent arrival, since few had dried and clotted.

The tip touched her temple and stroked the side of her face. When the fear he expected to see did not arise, he roughly grabbed her chin, slightly bruising her jaw. "Listen here, little wench, either you tell me or I will make you wish for death." She smiled in response, "What if I already do?" She would never tell him anything, not even if it were something simple like what her favorite color was.

The blade cut the smooth skin on her face, leaving a bloody mark from temple to jaw. He threw the knife off into the darkness and sulked away. She slowly released the breath she had been holding. She would live to die another day. But, she could only hope that the wounds clotted quickly because she could not heal them without her hands. She slowed her breaths as much as possible, trying to lower her heart rate, therefore lowering blood flow.

A quiet squeak caught her attention. There, hiding in the corner, was little Kuriboh. His giant eyes were glazed over with tears as he took in her current situation. He floated up to her and carefully licked the wound on her face. It burned greatly as his tiny tongue swept up and down the opening, but she held back any sign of pain. He was only trying to help and she appreciated him for that.

A sudden scream and crash sounded in the room next to her. There was another girl in that room. She had been brought here the same day the princess had arrived. Neither of them had a clue as to what was going on, but the second was far more terrified than the princess was. She said that she had to get back to her lover to protect him from her father. She screamed his name as another man dragged her into the next room. The princess felt lucky since her lover's father approved of their relationship.

Two sets of moans were heard before silence fell. Footsteps approached the door joining the rooms. "Go!" She hissed to Kuriboh. He quickly shook his head and softly rubbed her injured cheek. She gently pushed him away and winked, "Go." One tear fell down his cheek before he hurried back into the darkness. He would tell her brother.

The door flew open and the girl was thrown inside. The princess' insides hurled at what she had become. The poor girl's garments were stripped so badly they hardly covered anything. Her once tan skin was almost pale due to the blood loss she must have experienced. Cuts of all kinds covered her skin, and what did not have a cut, most likely had a bruise. It took little thought for the other to understand what had happened.

The knife reappeared under her chin. "Now, unless you tell me, you will end up like her. Do you want that?" She stared forward stoically.

"Nothing you say or do will ever intimidate me."

He growled in irritation. The knife slid down her neck and slashed at her tunic. Luckily, the fabric the servants had used to make this tunic was stronger against knives than normal linen. She had no idea what it was, but every day from here she will thank the servants for it.

The man stumbled back a bit when he realized her clothes would not shred as easily. He snarled in irritation and raised the knife again. He must have thought that the fun was over and she was about to die. The girl whistled loudly and piercing roar tore through the air. The man stopped as the red smoke encased her body, ripping the chains from the walls. She gave him one last look, daring him to come after her. He smiled evilly in response.

"For Ra's sake, I do not know where she is!" She walked into the throne room rubbing her wrists, her monster right behind. The manacles, one now left behind in the sand, had left irksome marks on her wrists. "Aziza!" The Prince ran towards her, arms wide open. The monster snarled in anger and opened his second mouth. When the girl showed no fear of the newcomer, he settled high above the columns. The man folded her into his chest. He sank them both to the floor as his tears flowed freely, not noticing how her blood was ruining his clothes. She wrapped my arms around his neck, quietly telling him everything was alright.

One of her servants was bubbling with worry. He was supposed to be watching me the night she vanished, which was apparently three days ago, yet fell asleep halfway through the night. His replacement was found dead early that morning. She requested that the man receive a proper burial. He died because he wanted to protect her.

The Prince was adamant about finding her kidnappers and giving them the same treatment she had received. Though it took some time, she managed to calm him down by showing him the wounds were nothing. With one swipe of her hand over the wound, the skin returned to its normal tan self. She assured him that the man and his followers would arrive soon. The man had accepted her challenge.

And he would pay dearly for that.

I stopped my story and grinned as Father leaned even closer. "Oh come on! Dria! You can't just leave it there! What happens? What does the princess do to the man? Who was he? And for god's sake, do the princess and prince live happily ever after?" He grabbed my shoulders and lightly shook me. I giggled.

Father loved listening to my stories, though he was still completely unaware of how true they were. He loved how I used our little monsters in the story, mostly because if I used something he understood, the story made more sense to him. He always wanted me to make up stories using the 'bold and devilishly handsome Prince' and the 'brilliant and feisty princess.' It made it extremely easy on me to soothe him to sleep during his random insomnia-attack nights. They didn't happen that often, thank goodness, but he still liked a good story before bed.

I pushed him back into his bed and pulled the covers over him. It may have been morning, but he wouldn't get out of bed for at least another hour. He huffed like a petulant child and crossed his arms over his chest. I smiled and kissed his forehead, "When the tournament is over, I will tell you the rest." He playfully narrowed his eyes as I floated out the door.

I was heading to the city square for the start of the tournament. Seto had told me that he would announce his 'special surprise' for all the duelists at 9AM and I needed to be in the center. Again, this whole special surprise thing…something tells me I'm not going to like it.

Duelists from all over had flooded the city. Seto knew exactly who would come and who wouldn't. From the numbers I could see, he knew that all of them would come. I weaved my way in between the duelists, stopping occasionally to sign one autograph and pose for one picture. Even though I no longer walked around in disguise, most people left me alone, especially now. Maybe Father had said something…? Oh well, it meant less trouble for me.

Fireworks were going off as I finally reached the center. Many duelists had already gathered there…quite a few of which I was not happy to see (*cough* Weevil and Rex *cough*). I sat on the edge of the garden wall in the middle. Some excited duelists came up to shake my hand and tell me how much they loved me. I smiled and waved them on their way, reminding them that Battle City was about to begin. I had to chuckle as I watched the overexcited children bound away. They wouldn't last five minutes in a tournament like this.

I heard some shouting coming from my left. I laughed loudly when I realized who it was. Yugi and Mai were watching in chagrin as Weevil, Rex, and Mako argued. As they continued to argue, I resumed my slow sweep of the area. Everything seemed normal, until I came upon a dark figure. I felt my necklace quiver against my skin and faintly smelled oranges. That man had been touched by the Rod…I was almost sure of it.

Yugi turned my direction and smiled when he saw me. I had left early this morning to go tend to Father, seeing as he couldn't make cereal without someone nearby. I left a note telling Yugi where to find me, promising to find him if he got too busy. I saw the Pharaoh floating nearby and coyly winked at him. He winked in return and smiled crookedly.

I hopped down from my spot and met Yugi halfway. He wrapped his arms around me and laughed. I returned his hug, though slightly confused. When the hug ended, he laughed again at my confused face. "I'm just happy to see you. When I woke up and you were gone, I kinda overreacted." I raised an eyebrow and looked towards Yami. He smiled and shrugged. I rolled my eyes and placed my hand on his arm. "Where to?" Seto wouldn't notice if I wasn't in the square.

We walked all around the area, ending up at the top of another building. "I hope Joey shows up before this starts." I moved my hand to his opposite shoulder and gave him that normally awkward side hug. He smiled lightly at the gesture and entwined his fingers with mine.

"Greetings duelists." It was Seto. But, where was he? A giant shadow passed over Yugi and me. Yugi released my hand and ran over to the fence at the edge. I sighed in exasperation, but had to chuckle a little. Even that giant screen on the blimp failed to measure up to the boy's ego. I walked over to the fence and joined Yugi.

"Battle City's gonna be an all out war."

I growled at his arrogance. He had never experienced true war…and I hope he would never have to. He quickly went over his new rules, making sure the rare card rule was well known. Oh, and he made sure people knew that while he could be challenged, he wouldn't lose to anyone, not even Yugi.

He continued by talking about the finals and locator cards. I crossed my arms above my head and ignored him for the most part. Once again, I wasn't competing. Seto had seriously considered masking me duel because he felt I was the only real competition he had. But this time, I declined the offer (shocking, I know). I needed to be an ally for Yugi and the Pharaoh, not a rival.

"And one last thing, the Battle City champion will not only receive the title of number one duelist in the world, but he or she will also receive the opportunity to spend a day with none other than Alexandria Pegasus."

I froze at this comment. That was the final secret Seto kept from me? "You've got to be kidding me." My body was on the verge of shaking in pure anger.

"Let the tournament begin!"

I stomped down the stairs, madder than a bull with a bee sting. Yugi followed me silently lest he say anything to add fuel to the fire. Only when we reached the bottom did I say anything more. "I am not a prize to be won. Kaiba had no right to do that…I won't forgive him so easily for this…" Yes, I am being a bit of a brat, but after so many years of sometimes being used by others for their own gain, I feel that I have the right. Yugi sighed and grabbed my hand, pulling me alongside him.

"You know it will only make the duels more competitive. So many people want to say they know you." I humorlessly chuckled, "Yeah, I'm a real catch."

"Yami and I think so."

His simple statement shocked me in silence. He smiled and continued to lead me back to the town square. He must have seen Joey while I was distracted. When we reached the edge, I quietly gasped. It was the same dark figure…the one I had detected earlier.

"Joey! What are you yelling about?"

This was the man whose voice I heard the other night. Yugi gasped as well when he caught sight of the man. The cape was the same one Bandit Keith had been wearing in the warehouse a few weeks ago. A few weeks…I shook my head. Time goes on regardless of what happens in life.

"It would be a pleasure to hunt the Duelist Kingdom Champion."

"Fine. I accept your challenge."

The Pharaoh took over, beginning the duel by making a bet. He'd never admit it, but he tends to have a gambling problem, even now. I smiled when I remembered how he had to work as my personal servant once after he lost a bet to me. But, that story is for another time.

"If you lose, you must return Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon. And if you win this duel-"

"Your little girlfriend over there has to come with me."

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him with a look that could kill. The man wavered a little bit, averting his eyes away from me. I shifted my eyes over to the Pharaoh, who was staring at me with a calculating look on his face. My eyes widened in disbelief. Was he really about to...He then raised his hands in surrender.

"That is her decision to make. She is not something I will ever gamble away."

The man grunted in irritation, but rose and activated his Duel Disk anyway. I gently touched Pharaoh's shoulder, in thanks and for good luck, before bounding away to join Joey on the sidelines. He smiled and hugged me in greeting, before returning his full attention to the duel. I moved to stand beside him and he rested his arm around my shoulders. If it gave him comfort to know that someone was there, I would do my best to help. Joey stepped forward for a moment, to try and warn the Pharaoh of something.

"Silence Wheeler! Or say goodbye to your Red Eyes."

Pharaoh summoned Beta to start off. The silly creature immediately caught sight of me and waved his arms. I giggled loudly and waved back. He then turned and puffed out his chest, making himself seen scarier. He was absolutely adorable. I doubt he would appreciate that comment.

All the Rare Hunter wanted to do was draw cards and play defense. How on earth did he plan to win if he never attacked? I thought back to the small vision I had seen of Joey's duel with him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But, he must have done something unusual to win. Joey tended to be extremely aggressive, meaning that this man must have drawn something Joey, who was usually a master of wiggling out of tough fights, couldn't have beaten.

Chimera came next. He nodded his head towards me and roared in excitement. "It's almost like each monsters knows you personally, Dria." There was a question in Joey's statement. Instead of answering truthfully, I just shrugged, gave him a blinding smile, and made him pay attention to the duel.

The Rare Hunter kept things interesting by…you guessed it: drawing cards and playing more defense. What could he possibly be planning? He was waiting for something…something powerful I bet. My eyes widened. There was only one monster I could think of that required so much time yet so little preparation.

Exodia

"The hunter will strike his prey when the time is right."

I was right. He was trying to collect the five pieces of Exodia, using his other monsters as shields. Now if only Yugi and the Pharaoh could figure that out. A couple more turns passed by, with nothing extremely exciting happening. Joey started shaking more and more as the duel continued. He wouldn't be able to hold back the truth much longer. He finally jumped forward, "I can't stand by and watch this."

The Pharaoh hushed him immediately. He was fighting for Joey not because he needed to win some locator card, but because his friend was in need. If Joey revealed the truth, the reason for the duel would be destroyed. And Pharaoh would need that card in the duels to come… Joey must have said something that opened Yugi's eyes to the truth.

"You're planning to summon Exodia, the Forbidden One!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. Now he knew…but now he had to stop the unstoppable creature. I knew of only two people who ever defeated Exodia in the 10,000 years I had lived. And I wasn't one of them, neither was the Pharaoh. This would be a tough challenge, but I looked forward to how he would rise to the occasion. The Pharaoh looked towards me, a tiny amount of doubt present in his eyes. I smiled and gave him the thumbs up. He could do it; he just needed to believe he could.

"I'm afraid it's too little too late."

That means he must have had three, possibly four of the cards already. He wouldn't have had five because the duel would have been over by now. Pharaoh didn't have much time left. Hopefully, he had something up his sleeve…otherwise this duel would be over in possibly the next turn. The Rare Hunter went to draw…

"Not so fast!"

I sighed in relief. Time seal would give Yugi and Pharaoh a little extra time to weave their way out of this. It wouldn't last more than one turn, but I knew they could come up with something in that time. Pharaoh drew his next card. I cheered when I saw the card, Lightforce Sword. This was a gamble. He couldn't control what the sword hit, and if it wasn't the right card, it was over. I covered my eyes when Yugi activated the sword. Of course, I peeked through my fingers.

"No! You pierced Exodia's right arm!" Not only did Pharaoh do that, he also wiped out the Rare Hunter's last defense. Pharaoh had figured out Exodia's weakness. As a whole, Exodia was unbeatable; that's just how the game worked. But individually, the pieces couldn't stand up to much.

The man started laughing like a maniac. Joey turned towards me, "That guy is as nutty as a fruitcake." I sent Joey an incredulous look; was he really thinking of food at a time like this? When I looked back, Pharaoh had been stopped by the Swords of Revealing Light. Though I despised how he stopped Pharaoh's attacks with the swords, I knew that monsters were not the only way to destroy an opponent. I'm a bit biased, since I'm a magician myself, but I like magic cards the best.

Back to the duel, nothing happened in the next couples of turns. All the duelists did was draw cards mostly. They played the occasional monster and face down card, but mostly the two of them just let their mouths run off at each other. The Rare Hunter was a little flustered by the Pharaoh's smirk, and he grew even more anxious when he looked closely at the field in front of him.

The Hunter was wide open for a direct attack. The Pharaoh had a plan, and by the look in his eyes, the Hunter was walking right into his trap. After some very smart words on the Pharaoh's side, the Rare Hunter second guessed himself. He summoned one of the pieces of Exodia.

"Now it's time to destroy Exodia. Chain destruction!"

My whole body relaxed. The Rare Hunter's extra Exodia heads had been destroyed, which stopped all chances of summoning the all powerful monster. After removing the irritation known as the Swords, the duel was over. The Pharaoh finished off his opponent with a final direct attack. I started off the cheers by shouting in excitement. Joey and I joined him to grab Joey's Red Eyes.

As we got closer, the tangy smell got stronger. The Rod's power was about to surface, I could feel it. I moved closer to the man as Pharaoh destroyed his cards, which had all been marked with some kind of invisible ink. Though it hurt to see my cards destroyed, I was a little occupied to care too much.

"Forgive me, Master! Please don't be angry!"

The scent overpowered me and I had to take a few steps back. The Pharaoh reached for my hand and pulled me into his protective arms. The three of us stared at the man in alarm (and confusion on the boys' part). The man screamed in agony as the Rod's power infiltrated his mind. The Eye of Horus appeared on his forehead. The man was lost to the Shadows now.

"We meet again, Pharaoh."

I turned my head away and hid my face behind my hair. If my hunch was correct and this was indeed Ishizu's brother, then he would recognize me immediately. If he did, there's no telling what he might try to do.

"Finally after all this time, I will destroy you!"

I narrowed my eyes, but resisted the urge to step in between the two. He went on to explain how his Millennium Rod controlled all his minions, this man in particular.

"Remember my name…Marik."

I began having trouble restraining myself when he swore to take the Pharaoh's power because he said he deserved it. My body began to tremble as Marik talked about the Egyptian gods and their current situation. It was about so much more than the Items. If he succeeded, the world would be cast into darkness.

"The end is near, Pharaoh."

My fist went flying before my mind told it to. The body flew backwards, shouting in surprise. I stood in front of the Pharaoh, my fist clenched at my side. The man got up and rubbed his mouth, cleaning up the blood that had dribbled from his now split lip. He glared at me at first, probably expecting to see another male. His eyes widened and a creepy grin covered his face when he saw who it was.

"Why, if it isn't the Lady herself? I've read all about you." He grabbed my hand and moved to kiss the back. I slapped him away and stepped back between my friends. He laughed evilly, "It's too bad that I can't claim you as the prize after I defeat the Pharaoh. You would be a much more valuable addition than the gods or his power."

I narrowed my eyes at his words, yet allowed a confident smile to cover my face, "Even if that were true, there is nothing you could say or do to make me help you."

He laughed evilly, "Both of your days are numbered because your reign is coming to an end!"

I threw my right hand forward, pushing Marik out of the poor man's mind. I was a little sad that the Rare Hunter was basically lost forever, but at the same time, I felt he deserved it.

As the two boys discussed something about friendship, I looked up to the sky. Battle City would be an all out war. The past against the present. I felt bad for the poor souls who would get involved in the weeks to come, but it was the way it had to be. Joey requested that Yugi keep Red Eyes to help him when he needed it. I held back my laughter. Seems like Joey and I switched places; he was the one predicting the future and I was the cheerleader on the sidelines.

The two parted ways and I waved farewell to Joey. I'd catch up with him later. Hopefully, he didn't get into too much trouble again. The Pharaoh offered me his arm once more and we headed off into the city. The silence between us was comfortable, as it always had been. Neither of us felt the need to fill the silence with words; simple gestures were enough. I'd stroke his upper arm with my thumb, and he'd return it by kissing my hand or forehead.

"What was Marik talking about when he addressed you?"

I hesitated when I heard these words. My legs came to a stop and I sat on the nearest wall. Was I ready to tell him? Did I really want him to know the truth about our relationship yet? Or, more importantly, was it the right time to tell him? I sighed and rested my head in my hands, indecision eating away at me.

His gentle hands lifted my face back up and I found myself swimming in his beautiful eyes. "If it is something that I have to discover, I don't want you to tell me. And even if it's not, you don't have to tell me now. Tell me when you're most comfortable." I jumped up and wrapped my arms and legs around him.

He lightly chuckled and held me tight. I kissed his lips softly after coming to a decision. "Make it to the finals, and I will tell you." He nodded and quickly returned my kiss. He then set me down and interlaced our fingers. He kissed my hand one last time before we headed down the street, towards his next duel.